of accession’. Israel and other nations did not count a new
king’s first months before the new year. So the chronologist
can subtract one year, the accession year, from each of
certain kings of Israel (but typically not the kings of Judah)
when tallying certain reign lengths.

Hardy and Carter outlined a history of chronologists who
have debated the divided kingdom period in order to outline
the range of possibilities.
5 But Young and Steinmann picked
up where Theile, and Leslie McFall’s updates to Theile, left
off.
16 Their chronology for the divided kingdom era (and
beyond) includes every time-related Bible verse interpreted
straightforwardly, i.e. according to the standard historical-grammatical method. Young made necessary adjustments
to Theile’s results, thereby resolving what appear to be
the last remaining questions toward an inerrantist biblical
chronology for the divided kingdom.
17 These results narrow
the range of possibilities down, apparently to just one. Again,
Scripture does not necessarily need only one chronology.

However, if each small problem has only one resolution thatmaintains all biblical numbers without alteration, then allthose resolutions would combine into a chronology withoutpeer among extrabiblical ancient records. Young’s websiteprovides links to relevant chronology papers, as well assummary tables that begin to reveal remarkable precision inbiblical chronology.
18 Accordingly, the time from the deathof Solomon/beginning of the divided kingdom in 932
BC andthe fall of Jerusalem and defeat of its Judean king Zedekiahunder Nebuchadnezzar in the summer of 587
BC (“the onlydate that can be reconciled with all the texts involved”)equals 345 years.
19 These results bring a biblically consistentchronology into focus and subtract some wiggle room foundin other’s chronologies. The next section outlines how well-established
BC events that occurred within the 345 years ofthe divided kingdom exactly synchronize with certain Bibleevents and thus anchor world history to the Bible.

Synchronize with bc dates

Chapter three in From Abraham to Paul summarizes
synchronisms that anchor
BC dates onto Scripture’s
chronology.
20 Key details from this chapter come from
Kenneth Kitchen’s article, How We Know When Solomon
Ruled, available online.
21 First, an Assyrian record called
the Monolith Inscription names Israeli King Ahab’s defeat
during King Shalmenesser III’s sixth year of reign, in 853
BC. The Black Obelisk or Kalhu Obelisk names Israeli King
Jehu’s tribute payment in Shalemeneser’s 18th year, in 841
BC.
Using chronological data from 1 Kings that span from Jehu
and/or Ahab to Solomon, Steinmann calculates the year of
Solomon’s death to 931
BC.

Other connections confirm this date. First, Pharoah
Shoshenk (biblical Shishak) invaded Judah in Rehoboam’s
fifth year, 926 B C. Rehoboam was the first king after
Solomon. Second, Pharoah Siamun’s reign length of
986–968 overlapped Solomon’s reign in just the right
timeframe for Siamun to have been the pharaoh who
conquered Gezer and whose daughter Solomon married.
Third, Josephus recorded the Tyrian king list. It indicates
143 years from the construction of the temple to Pygmalion’s
seventh year, enabling yet another calculation that confirms
Solomon’s reign dates. Other synchronisms confirm Bible
events, including Menahem’s tribute to Tiglath Pileser
III in 743 or 742
BC as noted on the Iran Stela, and
Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Egypt mentioned in 2 Kings 23:
29–30 (and elsewhere) as recorded on a Babylonian
Chronicle at 605
BC.
22 Gritty details that comprise some
tomes undergird the above sketch, according to which
Solomon’s last year, and thus the first year of the divided
kingdom, was 931
BC. Next, Steinmann established a date
for the Exodus.

He first takes 1 Kings 6: 1 straightforwardly:“And it came to pass in the four hundred andeightieth year after the children of Israel had come outof the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’sreign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is thesecond month, that he began to build the house ofthe Lord.”This precludes a late date for Exodus and inconjunction with other verses specifies 1446
BC for theExodus out of Egypt. The Mereneptah stele, PharoahMereneptah’s victory monument erected in 1211 or 1210